Lionheart 100 mile sportive

Yesterday I did the Lionheart 100 mile sportive ride at Longleat, Wiltshire. I'd never done a sportive before, so this was going into the unknown for me! A few of us travelled up from Cardiff (me, Chris, Bryn & James) and met up with John and (another) James for a (very) early start to the day. And it was freezing!

We got our kit sorted and rolled to the start line. Having never done a sportive before, I was a little unsure of the protocol but just decided to just go with the flow. We rolled around Longleat park for a few miles before turning to climb a big hill out of the estate, this is where it all went wrong!!!

My rear gear cable snapped! I was stuck in a massive gear! I thought my day was over. The teddies definitely came out of the cot!

I decided to roll back to the start (which wasn't that far away as we had looped around the park) where, luckily, the bike mechanic was able to change the gear cable quite quickly. I gave him a big kiss (well, not really!) and set off again.

I missed my group, so just set off and eventually latched onto some other guys. I caught up with my group whilst they were at the first feed station (James O seemed to be enjoying the cake!). From here on in it was a tough day for me! Most of the other guys were stronger than me and my lack of outdoor bike miles told. I was on the limit for most of the day!

The hills really hurt me and there were some massive climbs (both in incline and length). One at 80 miles was a particular killer, as was the one at 95 miles! I finished no problem (there was never a chance of not finishing), but that evening I was absolutely knackered! I mean it, really, really knackered!

It was a long day (on the road for 4:30am) but I'm glad I did it, I've never done a sportive ride, so that was an experience. And I've never done a 100 miles this early in the season. And it's over five and a half hours in the training bank! Train smart all!